Philippines assumes ASEAN Chair

Hanoi (VNA) – The Philippines officially assumed the Chair of the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2017 at a ceremony in Davao city on January
15.

Speaking at the
ceremony, President Rodrigo Duterte stressed that the Philippines, as ASEAN
chair, will hold fast to ideologies and values that the bloc is pursuing and
will persist in cooperation to realise common aspirations.

He affirmed
ASEAN would achieve its goals via policies and guidelines, cooperation,
coordination and consensus.

President
Duterte also mentioned priorities in his presidency, including peace and
stability in the region as well as maritime cooperation and security in the
context of growing concerns due to sovereignty disputes in the East Sea.

According to Secretary of
Foreign Affairs of the Philippines Perfecto Yasay, Philippines will preside
over around 100 ASEAN meetings, including two summits in April and November.

Laos was the chair of ASEAN
in 2016.

The ASEAN is to
mark its 50th anniversary of its establishment in August this year. The bloc
groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines,
Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.-VNA